SERVICES - Mouthguards

The Importance of Mouthguards

Injuries to the mouth and face are the number-one sports trauma, and a dental injury is painful, costly, and permanent. Fortunately, many mouth injuries can be prevented by wearing an athletic mouth protector—also called a mouthguard.
A mouthguard is a soft plastic appliance that fits over the teeth. When a properly designed mouthguard is worn, the lips, cheek, tongue, and jaws are protected, as are the teeth. The American Dental Association estimates that mouthguards prevent 200,000 injuries each year in high-school and college sports alone.

Most people are aware that sports mouthguards are mandatory for participation in high-contact sports such as football, boxing and hockey. But what many people don't realize is that the majority of mouth injuries occur in children between the ages of 7 and 14, often while participating in commonplace activities like skateboarding, rollerblading or bike riding! Mouthguards should be worn during all activities where there is a risk of falling or head contact, either with another player or a piece of equipment. The Academy for Sports Dentistry has identified 35 activities and sports in which mouthguards should be worn to prevent orofacial injury, including baseball, soccer, basketball, martial arts, skiing, volleyball and gymnastics.

The most common mouth injuries are broken or lost teeth, but a blow to the mouth or jaw can also cause jaw fractures, head and neck injuries, concussions and cerebral hemorrhage, jaw dislocations and problems with the jaw joint.

Choosing a mouthguard

There are three types of mouthguards available: stock mouthguards, boil-and-bite mouthguards, and custom-made mouthguards. The effectiveness of stock mouthguards and boil-and-bite mouthguards is limited—even questionable—because the fit is so often loose, bulky and uncomfortable. Breathing and speaking are impaired, and because of this, it's likely that these types of mouthguards will just be left in the gym bag! Custom-made mouthguards are by far the best choice. For about the cost of a good pair of athletic shoes, custom mouthguards offer:

• Sufficient thickness in critical areas, so protection is maximized
  
• The best possible fit and retention
• Greater durability, which means less frequent replacement

Custom mouthguards are created specifically for you by professional technicians, using a material that is resilient, odorless and tasteless. To fabricate a custom-made mouthguard, on the first appointment, we take impressions of the teeth. From these impressions, we make models of your teeth. The mouthguard is fabricated on the models to ensure that the fit is precise. Then, on your next appointment, we try in and adjust your mouthguard as necessary to make sure protection and comfort are optimized.

While any mouthguard is better than none at all, a custom mouthguard is far more comfortable and offers a much higher degree of protection for the mouth, teeth and jaw. They may cost a bit more than off-the-shelf varieties, but their precise fit, comfort and excellent quality make them well worth the additional cost.